The Time of Our Lives

September 28, 2015
Noonan (What I Saw at the Revolution), a widely read columnist for the Wall Street Journal, collects 83 of those columns and other works, most of them superb, written from 1981 to the present. When Noonan is on—which is often––her insights are acute, sharply stated, and extremely moving. She can be wildly funny, noting that the Boomer generation, when it was “faced as it grew with a choice between religious belief or existential despair, chose... marijuana.” Having grown up in modest, slightly gothic circumstances, she seems delighted to travel in powerful, elegant circles, and she laments the coarseness of contemporary America compared to the society in which she was raised. Noonan’s attempts to project a sense of humility feel strained, as do her raptures over Ronald Reagan and Jacqueline Kennedy. Nonetheless, most of her essays are captivating. She idealizes institutions and everyday attitudes that she takes to preserve and protect America’s social fabric. She supports English as a universal American language, condemns illegal immigration, and detests Wall Street greed. A 2007 piece on Hillary Clinton and the visceral unease she provokes seems especially timely. In another piece, Noonan explores Obama’s singular loneliness in office. The lasting message of this powerful collection is that the bubble that today’s politicians live in, insulated from the people they govern, uniquely threatens the American commonwealth. Agent: Robert B. Barnett, Williams & Connolly.

The American conservative political revolution that took wing in 1980 made heroes out of politicians, thinkers, broadcasters, and Peggy Noonan--the journalist who chronicled its rise and influence. This audiobook contains her best writing about politics, life, character, and commitment to the cause. The narration of the book is a team effort. Noonan reads the introduction and does a credible job setting the book's tone. The rest of the chapters alternate between the bright, sunny voice of Betsy Foldes Meiman and the smokier, more atmospheric-sounding Rena Marie Villano. Both do a terrific job of interpreting Noonan's words, and each makes valuable contributions to the book's tone and message. The result is a fascinating jaunt through America's recent past and a set of ideas that will inform its future. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine